album review: welcome to the monkey house vs. the dandy warhols are sound

A dialogue between Dunja Nedic and Christy Campbell comparing the Dandy Warhols‘ 2003 release on Capitol Records, Welcome to the Monkey House, and their 2009 release of the mix the band wanted to release originally.

As a ‘seasoned’ Dandy Warhols listener (hello understatement), who lists Welcome to the Monkey House amongst their favourite albums, hearing different versions of those same songs was perhaps going to be difficult to appreciate as much as the original (even though it wasn’t really the original, but that’s a story for another day/writer).

As such, my opinion was always going to be flawed. So instead of pretending that my listening of their July 2009 release, The Dandy Warhols Are Sound (Russell Elevado’s original mix of Welcome to the Monkey House that Capitol Records shelved in favour of one mixed by Jeremy Wheatley), wouldn’t be hideously influenced by my love of Monkey House, superstar reviewer Christine Campbell is joining me on a journey through time and Dandys discography.

When Dunja approached me about doing this joint piece, I was a little shy. I was pretty unfamiliar with the band besides knowing that one song from The O.C. and hearing other hipsters not-so-secretly make references to The Dandy Warhols. Of course.

I didn’t know what to expect when I opened up the two albums, but had pretty high expectations because this was the only band to have evoked Dunja’s reference to herself as a ‘fangirl’. Her taste is pretty good, so they must RULE, right?

Incidentally, I’ve never had to make this assertion myself. Dandys Rule, OK?

To put it simply, I was not let down. When I saw the first album title, 2003’s Welcome to the Monkey House, I was in love. Welcome to the Monkey House! HOW CAN YOU NOT LOVE THAT TITLE?

“We Used To Be Friends” really established The Dandy Warhols’ sound for me: kind of wacky, fun rock that somehow shows clear classic rock and psychedelic influences but sounds like something perfectly original. The song sounded like it could be off the Clueless soundtrack but also like something I heard at the bar last weekend. That versatility means something; the Dandy Warhols are a band of substance that has stuck around and enjoyed success since the early 2000s.

Similar songs off the album, “I Am A Scientist”, “I Am Over It”, “The Dandy Warhols Love Almost Everyone”, “The Last High” (a personal favorite), “Heavenly” and “I Am Sound” all delicately develop and revolve around this sound. Each of these songs features lead singer Courtney Taylor-Taylor’s falsetto, electro/synth undertones and curious background instrumental and vocal combinations. A word that came to mind a lot as I was listening to the album is “wonky”, but I’m not sure that it’s totally right in trying to describe the sound.

The band is playful, but has undeniable musical talent. Ironically enough, I think the true range of The Dandy Warhols’s style best comes through on the two songs that veer away from the sound prevalent on the rest of the album: “Insincere”, with its more experimental, ethereal, shoegaze feel, and “Rock Bottom,” a more rock ‘n’ roll tune truly reminiscent of early Rolling Stones, but with that Dandys edge.

On the whole, I thought the album was good; I never got past the idea of it as background music (and I hope I’m not breaking your heart when I say this, Dunja), but that’s how I always feel about shoegaze music. But I guess that means the artist has rather achieved their point, so all in all a good time.

Although I love Welcome to the Monkey House (in addition to pretty much everything else the band has done), it is not altogether representative of the Dandys’ sound. Although there is still that clear rock influence, this album was more of a shout-out to the kind of synth pop prevalent in the ‘80s, rather than the psychedelic rock that most of their other albums are more clearly ‘reviving’.

I especially enjoyed listening to Welcome to the Monkey House right before The Dandy Warhols Are Sound because it was easier for me to make comparisons and begin to form opinions hearing the albums side-by-side. The first track, “Burned”, sounds like a continuation of the last track off Welcome to the Monkey House, “(You Come In) Burned”. The production technique is very different, as this song is quieter, and more importantly, cleaner than its counterpart on the first album. A lot of the great elements that define shoegaze music weren’t there, which made me a little uncomfortable.

I found it odd that Christine wrote this as the general opinion (according to Courtney Taylor-Taylor via Wikipedia, that is) is that Welcome to the Monkey House is the cleaner sound. I happen to agree with her however. Wheatley’s mix seems to show a great deal more production and comes across as far more radio friendly, which is probably the reason why Capitol preferred to release this more commercially viable mix. We may not agree with it, but sometimes the suits know what they’re doing. The Dandy Warhols Are Sound is a wonderful album in its own right, but I doubt it would have netted them the more widespread appeal that Monkey House has.

I wasn’t sure if I liked the cleaned-up Dandys or not, but luckily the following track “Scientist” calmed my initial fears. The next song remains my favorite:  I think “We Used to be Friends” perfectly conveys the irony of The Dandy Warhols. It’s self-deprecating, doesn’t take itself too seriously, fits in with the 90s or on the L train tomorrow, is altogether fun and capitalizes on the band’s talent. I must admit that I felt “The Last High” from Welcome to the Monkey House is better than “The Last High” off The Dandy Warhols Are Sound because it is more intense. But, I think the transition from “The Last High” to “Wonderful You” is one of the more brilliant points of The Dandy Warhols Are Sound.

Like Christine, “The Last High” is a personal favourite of mine and likewise, I feel that the more mellow version on The Dandy Warhols Are Sound detracts from the more vivid movement, particularly during the instrumental parts, heard on the Monkey House version.

The next highlight for me was “Heavenly” – on The Dandy Warhols Are Sound, the song kind of ties together the album in that it has a more definite shoegaze feel but actively recalls the melodies of other songs. I think “Plan A” is much, much better on this album because it has a more complex arrangement and uses new instruments, yet still maintains overall sound. I loveeee the falsetto! “All of us, all of us sing about it” gives a more epic quality to “Plan A” than there is on Welcome to the Monkey House. “Insincere” is just as good here as on the first album, and I enjoy how the Beatles-ish quality. “Pete Int’l Spaceport” is the only track that is nowhere to be found on Welcome to the Monkey House and it sure is something – it sounds like space and nothing and everything all at once.

Indeed, the ambience on “Pete Int’l Spaceport” probably wouldn’t get past many major labels, but finishing Welcome to the Monkey House with “(You Come In) Burned” was probably a fair compromise on their part – also ambient, but just a bit less, well, weird. The arrangement of “Plan A” on Are Sound is definitely more impressive than on its predecessor, but also draws more attention to the falsetto, which I kind of hate. Probably because it reminds me of the Scissor Sisters, a band that I more than kind of hate.

So Dunja, how did I do? Ha. If I had to vote, I’d say I enjoyed Welcome to the Monkey House more than The Dandy Warhols Are Sound, but I like the direction in which the latter takes with the former’s production.

I’m starting to feel like a bit of an echo here, but my vote is with Welcome to the Monkey House too, though I considered for a long time that this might just be because of my familiarity with the album. Oddly enough, Monkey House sounds to me like an album covering The Dandy Warhols Are Sound, which would usually make it the better candidate for second place, but in this instance, I think the more ‘produced’ sound is the preferred music to my ears.

I can’t hear enough of a substantial difference to really make some good criticisms, but I feel it’s not my place to even attempt doing so. I’m no fangirl. 😉